Latest project updates and news from Music for my Mind.

In this week’s blog post, we are bringing you some of the latest project updates from Music for my Mind and some news from the music and dementia field.

Research Programme Update

You might remember an online survey we circulated a couple of summers ago, with the goal to determine the period of an individual’s life when they are most aware of popular music, in a population who do not live with dementia. Finding out the right era will give us a good starting point when compiling personalised playlists, particularly for people living with dementia, who cannot tell us what music they did and didn’t like. Together with two student volunteers, we have now concluded the survey, analysed the results, and written up a paper. In the coming weeks, we will be revealing our findings from that study and sharing an exciting development regarding this project, so sign up to our newsletter to be the first one to hear!

Fundraising news

Last Sunday, 13th June, one of our supporters ran the St Albans Half Marathon in aid of Music for my Mind. Our huge thanks to Cheryl Conely, who signed up to do this at the last minute but that didn’t stop her from raising over £600 across 3 days! And running 13.1 miles in the meantime! A very big thanks to Cheryl and her family for this wonderful support!

Worldwide news

A major announcement over the past week was the approval of the first treatment drug for Alzheimer’s Disease in nearly 20 years by the US Food and Drug Administration. ‘Aduhelm’ targets cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and will be available to patients in America very soon. The approval of the drug is conditional, subject to a post-approval trial verifying the expected clinical benefit. We will follow this story closely, hoping that the early promise is sustained in further studies. Certainly grounds for optimism. For more information read Alzheimer’s Society blog: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/aducanumab-alzheimers-disease-drug-approved-fda

Nationwide news

The national Music for Dementia campaign, headed by Grace Meadows, has partnered with UK Music (umbrella organisation in the music business) to launch a ‘Power of Music’ survey in order to get a deeper understanding of how music can play a more vital role in improving health and wellbeing. This coalition was inspired after a roundtable in April 2021 with DCMS Minister Caroline Dinenage MP, Health Minister Nadine Dorries MP, and representatives from the music industry, healthcare leaders, charities, and other stakeholders. The survey explores topics such as the role of music in improving care for those living with psychological and physical conditions, barriers that might prevent greater partnership, and what more could be done to support the use of music in health and wellbeing in care. If you work in the dementia field and think that this could be relevant to you, you can find the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/55TQ7FW